Hydraulic flushing apparatus for discharging fluid from a container and automatically refilling same

ABSTRACT

A CLOSED CONTAINER FOR RECEIVING AND RETAINING A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF PRESSURIZED WATER INCLUDING A CYLINDER WITH AN APERTURE OPENING INTO THE TANK AND A FLUSHING VALVE AT THE LOWER PORTION OF THE CYLINDER. A PISTON IN SAID CYLINDER ABOVE SAID APERTURE FOR UPWARD MOVEMENT BY PRESSURE FOR COMPRESSING A SPRING WHEN THE CONTAINER IS FILLED WITH PRESSURIZED WATER FOR AIDING THE RAPID DISCHARGE OF WATER FROM THE CYLINDER WHEN THE FLUSHING VALVE IS OPENED.

Jan. 19, .1971 w G|BB5 ETAL 3,555,571 HYDRAULIC FLUSHING APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING FLUID FROM A CONTAINER AND AUTOMATICALLY REFILLING SAME Filed Jan. 21, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ENVENTORS JAMES W. GIBBS JOHN L. GIBBS MW I 5 1 x Milli ig GL5 3028 a Jan. 19, 1971' Filed Jan. 21, 1969 J w. GIBBS ETAL 3,555,571 HYDRAULIC FLUSHING APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING FLUID FROM A CONTAINER AND AUTOMATICALLY REFILLING SAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 :1 FIG .7 5 :55 22 3 j;*::: 25 I h TIL-II; 41 2; 11111;

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1] l A16 W -m 1 I zl m 1111! it 1 r 0 II 39 10 mil. I WWHHIM... I I ..m iililliliiiiiigmniimliiiiu 18 L INVENTORS JAMES w. GIBBS Y JOHN L. GIBBS 3,555,571 HYDRAULIC FLUSHING APPARATUS FOR DIS- CHARGING FLUID FROM A CONTAINER AND AUTOMATICALLY REFILLING SAME James W. Gibbs, 8027 W. 14th Ave., Hialeah, Fla., and

John L. Gibbs, 14820 Miami Lake Way E., Miami, Fla.

Filed Jan. 21, 1969, Ser. No. 792,707 Int. Cl. E03d 3/04 U.S. Cl. 431 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A closed container for receiving and retaining a predetermined quantity of pressurized water including a cylinder with an aperture opening into the tank and a flushing valve at the lower portion of the cylinder. A piston in said cylinder above said aperture for upward movement by pressure for compressing a spring when the container is filled with pressurized water for aiding the rapid discharge of water from the cylinder when the flushing valve is opened.

This invention relates in general to water flushing apparatus and more particularly to a combination of a tank, valve and piston for rapidly flushing water or other liquid from the tank and automatically refilling same.

Prior flushing apparatus commonly used to flush toilets depended upon the gravitation of water from a tank open to the atmosphere by manually opening a large diameter valve, commonly called a Fuller ball, and refilling the tank with pressurized water under the control of an inlet valve operated by a float means. This form of flush apparatus is wasteful of water and not always effective in rapidly forcefully flushing and cleaning the toilet bowl.

The above objection and disadvantages are overcome in the present invention by a relatively small closed container or tank for retaining a predetermined quantity of pressurized water and compressed air in which is a large valve means for rapidly discharging the water through an outlet in the container including a pressure energized spring operated piston for accelerating the air pressure discharge of the Water from the tank when operated.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a cylinder associated with a hermetically sealed tank for holding a predetermined amount of liquid and compressed air including an outlet from the tank through the cylinder and a normally closed valve means including a pressure energized spring for driving a piston in the cylinder to accelerate the flow of water through the outlet when the valve is opened.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a closed tank or container for receiving pressurized water to compress air therein from a source thereof and dis charging the water from a relatively large outlet under the control of a cylinder in which a valve and piston are adapted to be spring moved through a discharge stroke for rapidly discharging a predetermined quantity of water when operated and permitting the tank to refill from the source of pressurized water for recycling.

These and other objects and advantages in one embodiment of the invention are described and shown in the following specification and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an enclosed container and an associated toilet flushing apparatus positioned within a typical manually operated toilet flush tank with a portion thereof broken away.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with a portion broken away.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view taken generally through section line 3-3, FIG. 2.

United States Patent 0 FIG. 4 is an exploded view of elements shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken through section line 55, FIG. 1, showing the principal elements in idle position.

FIG. 6 is a front cross sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 when moved to discharge position.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view like FIG. 5 when released for return to idle position.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, it is to be noted that the entire flushing apparatus is shown mounted within a conventional toilet flush tank 1, associated with a toilet bowl 2, illustrated by broken lines, where it may be used as a replacement for conventional flushing equipment or for many other purposes requiring intermittent fluid flushing action.

FIGS. 1-4 show all of the elements of the apparatus to be described in detail.

A hermetically sealed container or tank 3 is secured in the flush tank 1, as shown, with a filler tube 4 connected through the upper portion of one side of the tank 3 and a check valve assembly 5 connected between the tiller pipe and a tube 6 connected to a source of pressurized water, in this instance an average pressure in the order of thirty pounds per square inch. Anair vent tube 7 extends downward with the tank, best shown in FIG. 3, and is equipped with a seat 8 in the bottom thereof with a check ball 8 loosely retained in the lower end potrion of the tube by a pin 10.

A disc 11 having an offset aperture 12 therein is coaxially secured to the upper end of tube 7 which is secured and sealed in vertical relation to tank 3 by a threaded bushing 13 on which a cap 14, having an offset aperture 15, is threaded. Adjustment of the cap 14 with respect to disc 11 will vary the effective cross section of the vent in the tank 3.

The adjustment of the aperture '15 in metering disc 14 with respect to aperture 13 in cap 12 provides an air vent of predetermined selected cross section for the tank 3, the action of which will be hereinafter described.

In this particular embodiment, a cylinder 16 is vertically secured and sealed by well known means through tank 3, as shown. The lower end portion or output end portion of the cylinder has threads 17 for sealed engagement with a bowl 2 or other means for conducting water therefrom.

A planar valve seat 18 is positioned around the inner periphery of the lower portion of the cylinder which is adapted to be engaged by an inverted circular valve head 19 having an elastomer rim 20 secured around the periphery of the valve for sealing engagement with the seat 18. The head 19 is secured to a valve stem 21 by a thread means, as shown. The upper end portion of the stem 21 is slidably retained by a closure cap 22 threaded on the upper end of the cylinder and having a vent V for the free passage of air into an out of the cylinder.

A piston 23 is slidably retained within the cylinder 16 and slidably sealed by elastomer 0 rings 24. The piston has an axial bore therethrough for slidable retention on a lower portion of stem 21 and slidably sealed thereon by an O ring 25. It is to be noted that the piston normally rests against a shoulder or stop 26 on the stem 21. A coil compression spring 27 is positioned coaxial with stem 21 within the cylinder 16 and positioned between the upper surface of piston 23 and the inside surface of cap 22 for urging the piston in a downward direction bodiment is operated by a manual handle 33 with a shaft 34 thereof journalled through the wall of the tank terminating in an internal lever 35. A link 36 has opposite ends pivotally connected to the outer end of lever 35 and the outer end of lifter 28, respectively.

It is now apparent that the downward movement of handle 33 will raise the lifter 28 and cam the valve stem 21 upward and raise the valve head 19 from the seat 18.

The upper end portion of the valve stem has an adjustment collar 37 threaded thereon with a spring 38 positioned between the collar and the upper side of the cap 22, as shown in FIG. 3, the action of which will be hereinafter described.

Referring to FIG. 5, the cylinder 16 has a relatively large elongated inlet orifice 39 positioned in the lower portion of the tank 3 for feeding the water into the lower portion of the cylinder when valve member 19 is in the raised or open position, as shown in FIG. 6.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, and under the assumption that valve head 19 is in closed position and the tube 6 is connected to a source of pressurized water and the check valve has permitted the water to flow through tube 4 into tank 3, the ball 9 responding to displaced air will seat and hermetically seal the tank, which will fill with Water against the compression of air above the water to a predetermined height and thus establish equilibrium. Simultaneously, the piston 23 will rise and compress spring 27 until arrested by the stop 26. It is to be noted that the piston 23 is held against the stop 26 of the valve stem 21 against the counter restraining action of spring 27 by the pressure within the tank.

When the handle 33 is manually moved downward, the valve lifter 28 and the valve stem 21 will first move upward by virtue of the camming action of the slot 32 against pin 31. During the movement of the valve head 19 from its seat 18 to a position above orifice 39, shown in FIG. 6, the water in tank 3 under the lower side of piston 23 will be rapidly forced downward by the rapid downward movement of the piston by the energy stored in spring 27, and assist the final downward movement of lever 33. When the valve has reached its full open position, shown in FIG. 6, the piston 23 will have descended to the position shown in dotted lines resting against the upper end of the valve head 19. This downward movement of the piston provides rapid motivation to the water discharge through orifice 39 and from the cylinder and the tank will empty rapidly because of the compressed air above the Water and the added impetus of the downward movement of the piston 23.

Following the flushing of the toilet bowl and the release of the handle 33, the valve head 19 will descend by gravity and in order to maintain a necessary quantity of clean residual water in the bowl, the valve head 19 will be prevented from seating on seat 18 by a small distance D corresponding with the adjustment of collar 37.

Thus as the incoming pressurized water is fed to the tank through filler tube 4, a predetermined small portion of the water will flow through orifice 39 and around the valve head 19 and over the seat 18 into the bowl. This action Will continue for a period determined by the adjustment of collar 37 on stem 21. Since the check valve is automatically opened when the tank is emptied, it will remain open until a small pressure is built up within the tank while the bowl is being filled.

Since the inlet fiow of pressurized water is much greater than the small outlet flow, the water will rise in the tank and create sufficient pressure to close valve head 19 against the seat 18 against the restraining action of spring 38 and close the check valve 5, permitting water to flow into the tank and compress the air thereabove and fill the tank to a state of equilibrium equal to the water pressure for a subsequent flushing operation.

It is apparent that the cylinder in the above described apparatus may be secured on any side of the tank at a sacrifice in overall space requirements.

It is to be understood that the flushing apparatus described may be used for many industrial operations with liquids other than water for industrial applications such as in connection with cleaning and plating apparatus. These uses will not necessarily require the use of the spring 38 and collar 37 for producing a residual flow, such as required for toilet bowls.

This invention also comprehends modifications in the above described construction based on the teachings and scope of the above specification.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A hydraulic apparatus for filling and rapidly discharging a liquid from a tank comprising a hermetically sealed tank,

a cylinder having an open lower end and a cap on the upper end thereof associated with said tank and positioned in vertical relation therewith,

said cylinder having an outlet orifice in the side wall thereof opening into the lower portion of said tank to provide a water passage to the said open lower end thereof,

a circular valve seat extending around the inner periphery of said cylinder positioned below said orifice,

a valve means having a circular head with a coaxial upstanding stern slidably positioned in said cap for vertical movement of said head from an open position above said orifice to a closed position below said orifice with the said head thereof in sealed engagement with said seat,

a piston means coaxially and slidably positioned on said valve stem in said cylinder for movement from a downward position above said orifice to a predetermined upper position against a stop means on said stem,

manual means operatively associated with said valve means for moving said valve means from said closed to said open position,

a spring means in said cylinder positioned between the inner surface of said cap and the upper surface of said piston for urging the latter in a downward direction,

an air vent valve in said tank sealed through the upper portion of said tank for automatic movement from a closed position when said tank is pressurized by liquid therein and adapted for the gravity opening to the atmosphere when said tank is drained of liquid,

a source of pressurized liquid including a supply conduit connected thereto,

an inlet conduit means of predetermined size sealed through the wall of said tank to supply said tank with pressurized said liquid,

a check valve means connected between said supply conduit and said inlet conduit means to prevent the reverse flow of said liquid from said tank whereby the operation of said manual means will open said valve means and permit said liquid to flow through said orifice and from said cylinder with the flow thereof augmented by the movement of said piston from its said upper to its said lower position for rapidly flushing said liquid from said tank through said orifice and from said cylinder.

2. A hydraulic apparatus for sequentially filling and rapidly discharging water from a tank for flushing a toilet bov1v l comprising means forming a hermetically sealed tan a cylinder vertically positioned and sealed through the upper and lower sides of said tank with an open lower end and a cap on the upper end thereof,

said cylinder having an inlet orifice in the side wall thereof opening into the lower portion of said tank to provide a water passage to the said open lower end thereof,

a circular valve seat extending around the inner periphery of said cylinder positioned below said orifice,

a valve means having a circular head with a coaxial upstanding stem slidably positioned in said cap for vertical movement of said head from a full open position above said orifice to a closed position below said orifice with the said head in sealed engagement on said seat,

a piston means coaxially and slidably positioned on said valve stem in said cylinder for movement from a downward position above said orifice to a predetermined upper position,

manual means operatively associated with said valve means for moving said valve means from said closed to said open position,

a piston Spring means in said cylinder positioned between the inner surface of said cap and the upper surface of said piston for urging the latter in a downward direction,

an air vent valve sealed through said tank for automatic movement from a closed position when said tank is pressurized by water therein and adapted for the gravity opening to the atmosphere when said tank is drained of water,

a source of pressurized water including a supply conduit connected thereto,

an inlet conduit means sealed through the wall of said tank to supply said tank with said pressurized water,

a check valve means connected between said supply conduit and said inlet conduit means to prevent the reverse flow of said water from said tank whereby the operation of said manual means will open said valve means and permit said water to flow through said orifice and from said cylinder with the flow thereof augmented by the movement of said piston from its said upper to its said lower position for rapidly flushing said water from said tank into said orifice and from said cylinder into said bowl for flushing same.

3. The construction recited in claim 2 including a valve spring means biased between said cap and the said stern of said valve means for resiliently holding the said head of said valve means a predetermined small distance from said seat whereby the release of said manual means will permit a predetermined small portion of the incoming pressurized water from said inlet conduit means to continue to flow from said cap into said bowl to a predetermined residual height until the pressure in said tank is sufiiciently high to overcome the tension of said valve spring means and permit said valve head to engage said valve seat and simultaneously close said air vent valve and move the piston to its upper position by overcoming the tension of said piston spring means and permitting the incoming water to fill the tank to a predetermined depth and compress the air trapped above the Water for a subsequent flushing cycle.

4. The construction recited in claim 2 including an air inlet valve for said tank comprising a tube sealed in the upper portion of said tank extending downward therein having a normally gravity opening check valve means in the lower end thereof whereby atmospheric air will be admitted to the tank when said water is discharged therefrom and whereby the pressure of the incoming said pressurized water will close said valve when said tank is filled to a predetermined height permitting the said air above said water to be compressed to equal the pressure of said water.

5 In a hydraulic apparatus of the character described a hermetically sealed tank of predetermined capacity,

a cylinder having an open lower end and a cap on the upper end thereof substantially vertically associated with said tank including an orifice therein opening into the lower portion of said tank,

said cylinder having a valve seat around the inner periphery thereof positioned normal to the axis thereof and a predetermined distance below said orifice,

a valve having a circular head for gravity sealed engage- 'ment on said seat when in idle position,

said valve having a coaxial stem extending upward in said cylinder and journalled for reciprocation through said cap for moving said head to an open position above said orifice when said stem is raised, (whereby pressurized water in said tank will discharge from said cylinder when said valve head is moved from said idle to said open position.)

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 769,525 9/1904 Adams 4-26 1,932,224 10/ 1933 Mitchell 4-26 2,502,262 3/1950 Labiche 426 2,915,761 12/1959 Langdon 4-31 0 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner J. H. DODGE, Assistant Examiner 

